$ traceroute -m70 216.81.59.173
traceroute to 216.81.59.173 (216.81.59.173), 70 hops max, 52 byte packets
1 10.128.128.1 (10.128.128.1) 4.986 ms 1.822 ms 5.001 ms
2 0.0.0.0 (0.0.0.0) 10.422 ms 9.753 ms 8.008 ms
3 haye-core-1a-ge227.network.virginmedia.net (80.3.176.117) 12.505 ms 17.845 ms 11.620 ms
4 haye-core-2a-ae3-0.network.virginmedia.net (212.43.163.117) 13.546 ms 15.411 ms 11.667 ms
5 brnt-bb-1c-ae9-0.network.virginmedia.net (62.253.174.181) 10.390 ms 14.591 ms 11.220 ms
6 brhm-bb-1c-ae8-0.network.virginmedia.net (62.253.174.126) 15.027 ms 14.014 ms 12.930 ms
7 manc-bb-1d-ae9-0.network.virginmedia.net (62.253.174.130) 16.903 ms 21.537 ms 17.406 ms
8 ams2-ic-1-ae0-0.network.virginmedia.net (62.253.188.158) 35.233 ms 35.239 ms 37.181 ms
9 20gigabitethernet1-3.core1.ams1.he.net (195.69.145.150) 35.612 ms 56.460 ms 47.099 ms
10 10gigabitethernet2-1.core1.par2.he.net (184.105.213.102) 52.228 ms 35.102 ms 36.546 ms
11 10gigabitethernet7-1.core1.ash1.he.net (184.105.213.93) 110.801 ms 119.820 ms 108.558 ms
12 10gigabitethernet1-2.core1.atl1.he.net (184.105.213.110) 125.420 ms 131.480 ms 125.539 ms
13 216.66.0.26 (216.66.0.26) 127.439 ms 127.575 ms 120.875 ms
14 * * *
15 episode.iv (206.214.251.1) 161.032 ms 157.648 ms 159.122 ms
16 a.new.hope (206.214.251.6) 163.121 ms 164.012 ms 157.602 ms
17 it.is.a.period.of.civil.war (206.214.251.9) 160.246 ms 167.533 ms 165.775 ms
18 rebel.spaceships (206.214.251.14) 158.946 ms 159.426 ms 159.989 ms
19 striking.from.a.hidden.base (206.214.251.17) 170.597 ms 156.394 ms 158.955 ms
20 have.won.their.first.victory (206.214.251.22) 164.299 ms 161.829 ms 165.064 ms
21 against.the.evil.galactic.empire (206.214.251.25) 156.892 ms 162.278 ms 162.140 ms
22 during.the.battle (206.214.251.30) 169.562 ms 159.530 ms 161.576 ms
23 rebel.spies.managed (206.214.251.33) 165.335 ms 177.317 ms 165.066 ms
24 to.steal.secret.plans (206.214.251.38) 159.017 ms 171.165 ms 158.219 ms
25 to.the.empires.ultimate.weapon (206.214.251.41) 162.347 ms 159.575 ms 161.645 ms
26 the.death.star (206.214.251.46) 159.988 ms 161.026 ms 170.766 ms
27 an.armored.space.station (206.214.251.49) 159.919 ms 159.620 ms 159.103 ms
28 with.enough.power.to (206.214.251.54) 159.763 ms 158.581 ms 164.685 ms
29 destroy.an.entire.planet (206.214.251.57) 158.816 ms 162.657 ms 158.504 ms
30 pursued.by.the.empires (206.214.251.62) 160.536 ms 163.812 ms 162.702 ms
31 sinister.agents (206.214.251.65) 162.774 ms 156.732 ms 158.407 ms
32 princess.leia.races.home (206.214.251.70) 159.533 ms 169.740 ms 157.241 ms
33 aboard.her.starship (206.214.251.73) 170.212 ms 160.525 ms 162.511 ms
34 custodian.of.the.stolen.plans (206.214.251.78) 160.029 ms 160.111 ms 164.432 ms
35 that.can.save.her (206.214.251.81) 159.387 ms 157.979 ms 174.848 ms
36 people.and.restore (206.214.251.86) 167.935 ms 168.145 ms 159.991 ms
37 freedom.to.the.galaxy (206.214.251.89) 159.007 ms 159.340 ms 171.348 ms
38 0-------------------0 (206.214.251.94) 159.061 ms 166.413 ms 157.890 ms
39 0------------------0 (206.214.251.97) 159.067 ms 162.940 ms 168.481 ms
40 0-----------------0 (206.214.251.102) 161.080 ms 162.901 ms 166.444 ms
41 0----------------0 (206.214.251.105) 159.524 ms 157.525 ms 159.574 ms
42 0---------------0 (206.214.251.110) 175.453 ms 163.357 ms 161.374 ms
43 0--------------0 (206.214.251.113) 159.551 ms 164.186 ms 181.264 ms
44 0-------------0 (206.214.251.118) 160.984 ms 166.130 ms 166.033 ms
45 0------------0 (206.214.251.121) 159.808 ms 160.962 ms 158.835 ms
46 0-----------0 (206.214.251.126) 160.306 ms 192.033 ms 183.749 ms
47 0----------0 (206.214.251.129) 159.206 ms 164.633 ms 157.775 ms
48 0---------0 (206.214.251.134) 160.612 ms 157.489 ms 158.674 ms
49 0--------0 (206.214.251.137) 162.269 ms 163.983 ms 164.089 ms
50 0-------0 (206.214.251.142) 161.552 ms 179.032 ms 163.963 ms
51 0------0 (206.214.251.145) 161.382 ms 162.914 ms 162.299 ms
52 0-----0 (206.214.251.150) 164.658 ms 181.340 ms 167.787 ms
53 0----0 (206.214.251.153) 165.318 ms 160.934 ms 164.243 ms
54 0---0 (206.214.251.158) 166.160 ms 165.575 ms 160.236 ms
55 0--0 (206.214.251.161) 328.388 ms 160.293 ms 164.426 ms
56 0-0 (206.214.251.166) 165.254 ms 162.842 ms 166.021 ms
57 00 (206.214.251.169) 164.655 ms 231.742 ms 162.731 ms
58 i (206.214.251.174) 163.695 ms 166.912 ms 164.269 ms
59 by.ryan.werber (206.214.251.177) 162.599 ms 162.630 ms 159.312 ms
60 when.ccies.get.bored (206.214.251.182) 168.640 ms 164.424 ms 159.427 ms
61 read.more.at.beaglenetworks.net (206.214.251.185) 173.392 ms 159.583 ms 160.446 ms
62 fin (206.214.251.190) 163.855 ms * 164.961 ms


Pointless? probably, but fun none the less!

The config was done with VRF’s, which you can read more about here.  To me it is just route maps revisited, if only Cisco did something like a router hypervisor with isolated instances of the router but I guess we can’t have everything 

No, really..

And I thought the Windows/386 video was bad…

Happy 30th Birthday MIDI
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) turns 30 today.  I remember actively listening to midi file versions of songs I liked in the days before Napster but apparently I never really appreciated the technology for what it was.

“MIDI belongs to a Paleolithic era of computer interface design. Nevertheless, it’s still used in every major recording studio, by almost every electronic musician working today, and aspects of its design have directly influenced the evolution of several musical genres.”

From theverge.com.

I remember the first time I saw a MIDI deck, was back in high-school (whoa step into the time machine) when this kid, Adam, was showing off the latest in awesomeness, Wing Commander!  Which was an awesome spectacle on a VGA equipped 386 DX along with a brand new MIDI deck.  Prior to then, the only PC’s I’d seen had glorious CGA graphics, and utilized the PC speaker as a glorified beeper.  At that point I’d given up on buying an Amiga as my parents didn’t like the idea of me spending $599 on an Amiga 500, but PC’s you could buy in pieces and of course under the radar of obsessive parents.

But going back to MIDI, for a while in the late 80’s and early 90’s MIDI files were traded like crazy much like MP3’s in the 2000’s.  And the one card that started to bring MIDI sound to the masses was the good old Adlib!

AdLib!

The Adlib was a simple enough looking card which integrated the Yamaha  YM3812 to a PC.  It wasn’t capable of wave synthesis, instead it could play simple instruments.  But hey it was a massive upgrade from simple beeps & chirps of the IBM PC Speaker.

That was until I finally assembled my 286 PC, and then found the game Mean  Streets, the first in the Tex Murphy series.

What made this game special was that it used its “real sound” technology to quickly pulse the pc speaker so it could play basic wav files.  It was an amazing thing to witness at the time, when a 286 with CGA graphics could make some basic sounds, and play a quick bit of into music!

Even better, is that there were Amiga MOD players that could output via the PC speaker, and even with the release of Windows 3.1 there was a pc speaker wav driver.

But back to MIDI, for me anyways the best player was the midi player bundled with Windows 3.1 as at least you could kind of multitask, and listen to something while doing something else.  It really is funny to imagine a time before CD-ROMs being common place, and needing some kind of massive super computer to playback a MP3 in realtime!  Then again back then odds are if you were using a computer and wanted to listen to music you either would turn on the radio, or break out a tape deck!

ATARI US files for Chapter-11. Atari Consumer Electronics Division, the Jaguar & ST people pretty much died off in 1996, while the arcade people prospered on.. Or so it would seem.

The company has a valuation of just 25.4 MM Euros… But is it enough for 2600 legacy game lore?  I don’t think missle command nostalga is really worth that much.  The last big hit of theirs, was publishing rollercoaster tycoon..

Even looking through the highstreet today, anything Atari was in the bargin bin, the problem being that 30 year old games just don’t hold anyone’s interest for more than a few minutes today.. Their catalog is just.. old.

Oh well, it is chapter 11, which means ATARI gets time to pay creditors, take on new debt, and do a reorganization.  They may pull through this, although the world is a much different place than 1972, only time will tell.

No.

No, it is not.

Now stop freaking emailing me about it.  If I did have $1,375,000 I’d be in Tahiti.  Although I think the “joke” is that they got pulled here because of me posting stuff about Amiga ROM versions 37.299 37.300 & 37.350 … LOL

From Italy!

Well as the end of the year approaches, and in the USofA everyone looks for taxible donations, or just the holiday spirit of giving, here is a humble suggestion:

archive.org

Yep, the guys who run the wayback machine, and all kinds of other nifty stuff (like the usenet archive) are running a fundraiser to get four petabytes of storage.  So far they are one down, three to go.

If you can, donate here.

FWIW I sent them $20 USD.

no idea why, but here we are.

Also I’ll be spending new years near Milan! yay!